Jean Nouvel

A timber tower grows in Sao Paulo

Designed by Jean Nouvel, the Rosewood Tower in Sao Paulo is scheduled to open towards the end of 2018

The Rosewood Tower was conceived as a tribute to the Atlantic Forest that lines much of Brazil’s coast. French architect Jean Nouvel’s design is for a “landscape building” that feeds into the lush local vegetation, with flowers, plants and trees draping the public and private spaces, terraces and rooftops of the complex. This vertical garden will not only secure a sense of continuity between the tower and its surroundings, but will offer ample protection and privacy for the building’s residents.

The hotel complex will include 151 guest rooms and 122 owners’ suites, two restaurants, a bar and a caviar lounge, three swimming-pools, a spa and a fitness area. This will be the international Rosewood brand’s first six-star hotel-palace in Latin America. Linked to the heritage-listed Filomena Matarazzo maternity hospital, built in 1943, the Tower is a space for living and recreation, the main artery of what Cidade Matarazzo is about to become.

“Matarazzo Park is a remnant. More than a remnant, I would say it’s an oasis. It’s a space of calm urbanisation. A space of incredible trees: figs and magnolias. The hospital in the middle of the grounds is a sort of mini-town, very well organised around patios. Surrounding this little gem is a chaotic metropolis. What is most interesting for me is being able to work with the memory of the place.” , says Jean Nouvel, on this, his first design for a major Latin-American city—São Paulo, which Alexandre Allard describes as a creative hub of the 21st Century.

Commenting on working with Jean Nouvel, Alexandre Allard said, “like Lina Bo Bardi in the 50s, Jean Nouvel brings a fresh, contemporary foreign gaze that will reveal and underscore the unique beauty of this poetic isle that has lain abandoned for over 30 years. He will rise to the challenge of innovating, of creating a modern extension that respects the heritage-listed historic buildings at the site. That’s why I chose to work with him. Jean Nouvel and I want the Matarazzo complex to be preserved and rejuvenated. This Tower, standing 300 feet high, will be an original urban landmark, opening a new chapter in the history of transformations the Paulista Avenue region.

The Future Projects Award 2017 is open to all unrealised projects. Find out how to enter this year's competition here: http://bit.ly/2nv7iND